Be Careful What You Wish For
by Dumb Brunette
Summary: When Joren makes a wish, everyone in Tortall has to face the consequences.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and a few characters  
  
a/n: This story takes place before Squire. This is my first TP fanfiction so please review!  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
Joren of Stone Mountain glared disgustedly at the girl riding her demon horse at the practice courts. It just wasn't right! Girls did not belong anywhere near practice courts. Girls had no place trying to be knights! Who did that Keladry of Mindelan think she was? Joren didn't know how she had gotten this far. He had tried everything to stop her, and he wasn't going to give up. He'd just have to think of another way to stop her. He knew that if she weren't stopped, more and more girls would want to be knights. They might even equal the number of men in training. Or even worse, they might outnumber them! Joren shuddered at the thought. Yes, he'd find a way to stop her if it was the last damn thing he did.  
  
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The Orb of Desiderium was very ordinary looking. It was just the right size to fit in your palm, and it was perfectly round. The orb was opaque, like it was filled with clouds or smoke. Looking at it you wouldn't guess how powerful it was. Only the owner of the orb could see anything in it. This owner was now staring intently into it. She looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. She was very beautiful with flawless skin, but what was striking about her, was that she had silver eyes and matching silver hair. It was obvious she wasn't mortal. There was something fake about her, like she was too perfect to be real. While she was staring into the orb, a bright silver owl flew onto her shoulder. The owl's feathers were the same shade as the girl's hair. Lifting her gaze from the orb, the girl spoke. Ariane, I need you to bring a message to Gainel, God of the Dreamworld." She turned back to the orb, which to her held an image of a boy with long blonde hair and icy blue  
eyes. The boy was watching a girl riding a horse. She smiled, very amused. "I'll need his help with this one."  
  
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a/n: Suggestions are welcome! I'm kind of new to this. Oh, and thanks to my friend, Gwen, for reading this over. I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day! 


	2. ...It Might Come True

... It Might Come True  
  
That night...  
  
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Joren was having the weirdest dream. He was in an odd place where a thick fog covered everything. He couldn't see anything, but a strange girl. She looked just a few years older than him, but something about her gave him a feeling she was actually much older. Her hair and a eyes were a strange shade of silver. She didn't look mortal, maybe she was some kind of goddess. The strange girl smiled at him. "Hello Joren of Stone Mountain." Her voice was weird and echoey.  
  
He glared suspiciously at her. "Who are you?"  
  
The girl smiled at him. "I am Talia, Guardian and Keeper of the Orb of Desiderium."  
  
"The Orb of What?"  
  
Talia simply smiled again and ignored his question. "What do you desire Joren?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I have the power to grant your wish."  
  
Joren just stared at her. This dream was making him feel uneasy. He pinched himself hard. Nothing happened. He felt like beating his head against something. This couldn't be happening to him. "Where am I?" He demanded.  
  
"The Dreamworld, of course."  
  
"Then why can't I wake up?"  
  
"Because you haven't told me your wish yet; you could have anything you want, Joren."  
  
When he didn't answer, Talia held out her hand, and a small sphere appeared out of nowhere. Joren guessed it was the Orb of Desi-something. She didn't speak as she stared into the orb.  
  
Joren turned around, looking for a way out of the strange place, but he couldn't see anything. The fog still covered everything else.  
  
"You have a lot of hatred, Joren." "A lot of it is focused toward this Keladry of Mindelan." Talia lifted her eyes from the orb for a second, and then dropped them again. "You don't think women are equal to men." "I can make it so no woman ever dared to try to become a knight." She stared him straight in the eye. "Is that what you want?"  
  
Joren looked away from her. "Wait a minute, why are you offering this to me?" "How do I know you're not an evil goddess or demon?" "Or that you're telling the truth?" "I don't even know what that orb thing is!"  
  
His outburst seemed to amuse Talia. "I can assure you that I'm not evil." "Certain people are chosen to use the Orb of Desiderium; they have to have certain qualties, and being evil is not one of them." "You, Joren of Stone Mountain, have been chosen by the orb to be granted a wish."  
  
Joren thought for a minute. "Fine, make everything you said about Keladry and the Lioness come true, if you really can grant wishes."  
  
Talia smiled. She whispered some kind of chant; then both her eyes and the orb glowed so bright Joren had to close his eyes.  
  
"Enjoy your wish!"  
  
That was the last thing Joren heard before he fell unconscious.  
  
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a/n: Hey everybody! I hope you liked that chapter. This story is a lot of fun to write. Thanx again to Gwen reading this over, and thanx to everybody that reviewed! You guys are awesome! 


	3. What's Goin' On?

What's Going On?  
  
  
  
When Joren regained consciousness, he found himself lying on a street. In fact, he was lying on one of the streets in the Corus marketplace. The sun was up, and there were crowds of people buying things and chatting with each other.  
  
He could remember everything that happened that night, but everything looked normal, except of course for the fact he had no idea how he he'd ended up in the Corus marketplace. He dismissed his wish and Talia with her orb as just a dream.  
  
Now Joren just had to figure out how he had gotten there. Maybe he had sleepwalked. He was still puzzling over this when he saw a man frantically running through the crowds. The man's clothes were torn, and he was covered in dirt. "Spidren attack!" He yelled. "Spidrens!"  
  
Chaos erupted at these words. Pottery was smashed, food was stepped on, and other items were dropped in the stampede. The crowds were scattered as everybody ran for safety.  
  
Joren was in shock. What was going on? What were spidrens doing in Corus? He had a nagging feeling, and a flashback to his dream. But he quickly dismissed it. His stupid dream had nothing to do with what was happening now.  
  
Most of the townspeople had vanished, but there was a group of men left. They had weapons and were obviously going to fight the spidrens. Their backs were to Joren. He edged closer to see if he recognized anybody who could tell him what the hell was going on, but he was too late. They were already leaving in the direction the frantic man had come from. Joren debated running after them, but decided against it. Things were just too weird; he had to go to the palace and figure things out.  
  
He turned around in the direction of the palace, and immediately knocked into someone. The other person had been running, so Joren was knocked backwords. He landed on an overturned orange cart.  
  
He was just lying there dazed, on top of the oranges, when the other person came over and helped him up. Joren mumbled a quick thanks and looked up into a pair of green eyes. He stared in shock at the face of Nealan of Queenscove.  
  
Neal stared back at him; his face was just as shocked as Joren's. Neal wasn't exactly Joren's favorite person, but maybe he would at least be able to explain what was going on.  
  
Neal smiled. "Damn, and I thought we finally got rid of you."  
  
Joren was even more confused. Got rid of him? Joren and his knightmaster, Paxton of Nond, had been staying at the palace for a while. He'd had to see Neal's and the other page's annoying faces every day. What was Neal talking about, and why did he help him up? Neal was best friends with Keladry. He and Joren hated eachother. Joren had another uneasy feeling. Again he remembered his wish. Normally Neal would have just left him lying on those oranges.  
  
"So how did you escape the hurrocks? We thought you were dead." Neal shook his head in amazement.  
  
Joren just stared at him in horror. Dead?  
  
  
  
  
  
A/n: Don't worry; my next chapter should (hopefully) be a lot better. I'm going to use more TP characters, but they won't all be the same.  
  
Thanx to everybody that reviewed:  
  
*Princess Sanidaylene  
  
*Junipertree  
  
*Mr. Sesame  
  
*HShuler888  
  
*JudgeDP  
  
*Pink Panther  
  
*Lydian Lioness  
  
*Trisia  
  
*Mandi-girl 


	4. I'm telling the truth!

A/n: Hi everybody! I hope you like this chapter; it explains a few things, but most of the stuff will be explained in the next one. To answer one of my reviews, I never said Neal and Joren hated each other. Joren was confused because Neal was acting nicer than he usually does. They're still not exactly best friends or anything, but there'll be more on that later. I hope that clears it up for now, though.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Joren was speechless. This couldn't be happening to him. He didn't understand any of this. His head stared feeling dizzy.  
  
"Joren are you okay?" Asked Neal.  
  
Joren mutely shook his head.  
  
"Come on, we better go see Father." Neal led him through the deserted streets. He had to push him along because Joren could barely walk. They walked through the marketplace and finally stopped at a small inn. Joren thought he recognized it, but he was so dizzy he didn't give it much thought. Neal knocked on the door, and a pretty blonde barmaid opened it.  
  
She smiled widely when she saw them. "What are you two good-lookin' fellas doin' here tonight?" She gave Joren a flirty wink. Then Neal said something to her in a low voice. They pretty barmaid nodded and let them through. It was dark and hazy in the room. It wasn't too crowded, only a few people were in there.  
  
They walked down a long corridor and stopped in front of a door. They entered into a fairly large room with about six beds. Neal's father, Duke Baird of Queenscove, was standing over one of them. Joren gratefully sat down on another bed while Neal explained things to Duke Baird. Instead of magically healing him, like Joren expected, Duke Baird gave him some kind of mixture to drink. It was bitter and disgusting. It also made Joren tired. He quickly fell asleep.  
  
When he woke up Neal was gone. Duke Baird was still there, though. "Feeling better Joren?" He asked noticing Joren was awake. "The medicine doesn't work as well as medicine of course, but it should make you feel better."  
  
Joren couldn't stand it anymore. He looked at Duke Baird. "What's going on?" His voice came out louder than he expected, and Duke Baird seemed taken aback. He blinked.  
  
"What do you mean, Joren?"  
  
Joren was getting impatient. "Everything is different!" He said, this time yelling.  
  
Duke Baird put a hand on his shoulder, calming him down. "Explain to me what you mean."  
  
Joren told him about Talia and his wish. "She did this, I have to find her so she can change everything back!"  
  
Now Duke Baird looked really worried. "Neal told me you took a fall earlier, did you hit your head?"  
  
Joren looked at him in disbelief. Duke Baird was acting like he thought he was nuts! Not that Joren could blame him, he probably didn't sound to normal right now. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. "I didn't hit my head; I'm telling the truth!" He insisted.  
  
Duke Baird stared at him for a moment. "I'll be right back," he promised. Then he left the room. He came back a few minutes later with two other men. One, Joren recognized as the Lioness's husband, Baron George of Pirate's Swoop. The other was Sir Myles of Olau.  
  
"Now Joren, explain to George and Myles everything you just told me." Instructed Duke Baird gently.  
  
Joren took a deep breath and explained his story again. When he was done, he saw the three men exchanging glances. "I'm not crazy." Joren insisted, not liking those looks.  
  
George sighed. "If we had magic, we could tell if he's lying or not."  
  
"I don't think he's insane, and I don't see any head injuries," added Duke Baird. "Maybe the hurrocks did something to him."  
  
Enough with the hurrocks! Joren had a sick feeling in his stomach as he remembered Neal asking him why he wasn't dead.  
  
"Wait a minute," Myles's voice broke out. He turned to Joren. "That orb you were talking about---what was it called?"  
  
Joren thought for a minute. Then he shook his head. "I can't remember," he answered regretfully.  
  
Myles's face looked excited. "Just a minute," he said and quickly left the room.  
  
When he was gone, George and Duke Baird talked to each other in low voices. Joren tried, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. About ten minutes later Myles came back. He was carrying a heavy book. He lowered it on the bed and flipped through the pages. The others watched in puzzled silence.  
  
"Aha!" Myles cried. "I found it!" He turned the page so Joren could see it. On the page was a young woman with silver hair and eyes.  
  
"That's her!" Joren said, placing his finger on the picture.  
  
The caption on the page read 'The Orb of Desiderium.'  
  
"Desiderium means 'wish,'" said Myles, reading from the book. "This orb is an ancient tool that grants wishes by creating other dimensions." "This Talia is its official guardian." "Unfortunately it doesn't mention how to take back your wish." "Hmm…this is interesting."  
  
"What?" Asked Joren.  
  
"It says it's linked somehow to the Chamber of Secrets."  
  
Myles closed the book with a snap. George and Duke Baird were both staring at him in shock.  
  
"I guess this means the lad is telling the truth," said George finally.  
  
They all turned to Joren. Then they made Joren explain everything again. Joren was explaining what he had wished for when George interrupted. "Wait a minute---in your wish, were you talking about Queen Alanna?"  
  
Joren's jaw dropped. "You mean Alanna is married to King Jonathan?" "Then what happened to Thayet?" "And why didn't she marry you, George?"  
  
His questions were met with dead silence. "What?" Demanded Joren.  
  
"Prince Jonathan died with his parents from the Sweating Sickness when he was only a lad, and King Roger inherited the throne." Duke Baird looked questioningly at Joren. "Is it different where you came from?"  
  
Joren nodded. "King Jonathan and Queen Thayet rule Tortall, and Duke Roger is dead." "He tried to kill the royal family, but he failed."  
  
Myles shook his head. "If only Prince Jonathan was alive."  
  
George nodded his head in agreement, and then stopped as he remembered something. "Hey, what do you mean Alanna's supposed to be married to me???"  
  
  
  
A/n: So what did ya think? Click the little box and tell me! Next chapter I'm planning on introducing characters like Daine, Owen, and Raoul into the story. Of course, they're not gonna be exactly like they are in TP's books….  
  
Thanx to all my reviewers, your comments really help!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, except for the plot, Talia, and the Orb of Desiderium. 


	5. Consequences

A/n: Thanks for the suggestion Marie. Right now I think I'm just gonna focus on the characters in TP's books, but I'll remember that for later chapters. It might give the story a twist. Thanks to all the other reviewers, especially my top reviewer, Princess Sanidaylene.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
For the two hours Joren told them everything important that he could think of about how Tortall used to be. George, Myles, and Duke Baird were the most interested in the Immortal Wars. Joren was explaining to them about Emperor Ozorne.  
  
The other three were shocked. "Are you serious?" Myles asked. "Emporer Ozorne?"  
  
Joren sighed. "Let me guess, he's still around?"  
  
"Of course, though he's under suspicion for the death of his nephew, Prince Kaddar." Duke Baird shook his head. "The poor lad, he was nothing like his uncle. Everyone knows Ozorne did it; he's just too powerful for anyone to say anything."  
  
Joren was sickened. Before he had made that stupid wish, Kaddar had been the emperor of Carthak. Now he was dead, and it was Joren's fault. Then he thought back to the spidren attacks. How many other deaths had he caused?  
  
"Rumor is the gods have turned against Ozorne. Strange things have been happening." Myles shook his head.  
  
"Like what?" Asked Joren.  
  
"Statues have been destroyed, bad omens have been seen, and I've even heard the gods actually used their powers to threaten Ozorne."  
  
Joren sat for a moment, trying to analyze everything he'd heard. "How long have the Immortals been here, in this Tortall?"  
  
George ran his fingers through his hair. "About a year," he paused. "We've been doing our best to fight them, but there numbers are growing even faster now."  
  
Joren thought back to the spidren attacks. "Who's we?" He asked.  
  
"There's about a hundred of us." George answered. "We have knights, pages, squires, healers, spies, and thieves. You're actually in our 'headquarters' right now.  
  
Joren looked around in shock. "Here—in an inn?"  
  
"Yes, it's called the Dancing Dove."  
  
"Why doesn't King Roger help you?"  
  
George chuckled bitterly. "What does it matter to him if all his subjects die? He already got all of our magic, and that's all he cares about."  
  
Joren was stunned. "King Roger has everybody's Gift? That's impossible!"  
  
"No it isn't," Myles's face hardened. "He has some sort of magical vessel, that he has everyone's Gift stored in. He hasn't figured out how to absorb all the magic from it Mithros, when he does… Myles's voice faded off. He didn't have to finish—Joren understood.  
  
"How did he do it, and how do you know it was Roger?" Joren wanted to know.  
  
George pounded his fist on his leg. "I wish we knew, but no one has any idea just how he did it. And we all know it was Roger because he hasn't exactly kept it a secret! He's even offered great rewards for anyone who can help him."  
  
Duke Baird nodded. "And he keeps a magical shield around the palace so nobody can get in unless he lets them. We're powerless to get through the shield without our Gifts.  
  
"Why don't any other countries help you? They still have their magic, don't they?"  
  
Duke Baird shook his head. "Everyone's too busy fighting the Immortals. The Yamani Isles, the Copper Isles, and Galla have been hit already. The other countries are busy making defenses. No one has any time for us.  
  
Joren thought about Numair Salmalin, and wondered if he was in Tortall, and if he could help.  
  
A knock on the door startled everybody. A man in his early twenties opened the door. He had brown hair and blue eyes, and for some reason, he reminded Joren of Neal. He had a worried look on his face.  
  
"Domitan, what is it?" George asked apprehensively.  
  
"There's been another hurrock attack—two people are dead."  
  
George jumped to his feet. "Where?"  
  
"At Stone Mountain, Sir."  
  
  
  
  
  
A/n: Sorry everybody, it took my a little (ok, a lot) longer than I expected, to write another chapter. I've just had way too much stuff going on, but I hope you liked this chapter. I know I promised more characters, but this chapter turned out different than I had planned. I hope to get to more characters in the next chapter, but somehow what I type just isn't the same as what I had planned. Oh, and I will explain why Alanna's married to Roger. I know it's weird, but there's going to be more weird things because I wanted to write a story that's a little different and because I am kinda weird. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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